


Varric - The Fireplace

by elvhenphoenix



Series: Reflecting on Lavellan [8]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Skye Lavellan, Storytelling, Varric's words of wisdom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 10:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5452973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elvhenphoenix/pseuds/elvhenphoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We tell ourselves stories in order to live.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Varric - The Fireplace

**Author's Note:**

> My university breaks up for Christmas today, so I thought I'd spread a little joy - kind of. Hoping to have this series finished by Christmas Day. Enjoy!

The fireplace is cold, the remnants of the ruby embers sleeping in the hearth.

There's a whisper in the gloom, and flames spurt back into life, coaxed by the arcane words of the Inquisitor. She sits, pulling her knees up and hugging them, on the stone floor, letting the warmth of the fire wash over her as she stares, lost in thought, into the light. She doesn't notice the dwarf sitting there for quite some time, and when the silence is broken again she jumps.

'There's a story that starts like this, you know.'

He pushes himself out of the chair, and comes to sit beside her, companionably.

'An unhappy elf and a tired dwarf are sitting by a fire.'

He tells her the rest of the story, his voice carrying over the crackling in the hearth as he describes the adventures of the duo. By the end, she seems a little happier. He nudges her. 'Your turn.'

She looks at him, eyes bright, deciding what story to tell. He shrugs. 'It doesn't have to be a long one. Could be about anything, or anyone, you know?'

It feels like she was waiting for permission, and she takes a breath, gathering her nerve. 'We would dream together.'

Slowly, with coaxing words from her dwarven friend, she tells him of the sights she was shown in the Fade. Of ruins, and ancient battlefields, and pieces of history, by the one she loved.

It's the first time in three months that she's said his name.

And yes, her eyes are full of tears. But she smiles, too, at the gentle happiness the memories bring back to her. That's progress, at least. They take turns telling stories, talking until the sun begins to shine, coating the hall in a rosy glow of its own. By the time people begin to move through the castle, the fire has burnt out again, but she looks happier, more at peace, than he has seen in months.

'Thank you, Varric,' she says, yawning.

He grins. 'It helped, right?'

She nods, before standing and returning swiftly into her quarters.

Varric stands, then, and returns to the unfinished letter on the table. He picks up his quill again, and continues to write.

_People are puzzles_ , he writes. _We all want to be solved._


End file.
